Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Hasty and careless, as in execution.
  • adverb In a reckless haphazard manner.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In a sudden, offhand, abrupt, random, or headlong manner; abruptly; suddenly; all at once.
  • To do in a rough or careless manner.
  • To rough-cast (a wall) with mortar.
  • Dashing; offhand; abrupt; free, careless, or happy-go-lucky; rash or random; impetuous: as, a slap-dash manner; slap-dash work; a slap-dash writer.
  • noun A composition of lime and coarse sand, mixed to a liquid consistency and applied to exterior walls as a preservative; rough-casting; harling.
  • noun The outside plaster filling of a half-timbered house, between the beams.
  • noun Offhand, careless, happy-go-lucky, or ill-considered action or work.
  • noun Violent abuse.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb colloq. To apply, or apply something to, in a hasty, careless, or rough manner; to roughcast.
  • adverb colloq. In a bold, careless manner; at random.
  • adverb colloq. With a slap; all at once; slap.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Done hastily; haphazard; careless.
  • adverb In a hasty or careless manner.
  • adverb Directly, right there.
  • verb colloquial To apply, or apply something to, in a hasty, careless, or rough manner; to roughcast.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb directly
  • adverb in a careless or reckless manner
  • adjective marked by great carelessness

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • Wake up ... refuse the short term slapdash fixes our govenrment has become famous for and demand a realistic plan!!!! obama is the only candidate to get it right.

    Obama ad criticizes gas tax plan 2008

  • There's nothing "slapdash" about this sentence: "Listening for his murderers, he became aware of the oppressive life of the jungle, of the collective roar of insects, as big as any city's at noon."

    Style in Fiction 2009

  • My builds are getting more and more 'slapdash' and 'elegantly sloppy' euphemisms for crap since Arcadia is not around to point out the flaws in them.

    Arcadia Asylum's inventory... it's gone: asset server issues are calamities Bettina Tizzy 2007

  • Mr. Towers wouldn't survive as an art critic because no serious journal of painting would permit him to get away with the "slapdash" comparison of Roy Lichtenstein's work with mine.

    Complaint Reed, Ishmael 1982

  • Who, may I ask, is being "slapdash" and violating the requirements of the "sullen art" of literary criticism?

    Setting It Straight Morris, Ivan 1972

  • Mr Norman welcomed the apology but said the way the information was given out was "slapdash" and "incompetent".

    BBC News - Home 2011

  • During submissions on penalty, the prosecution said the company had a 'slapdash' approach to maintenance, had shown no remorse and embarked on a finger-pointing exercise during the trial.

    Latest News - Yahoo!7 News 2010

  • When I don't have them around, I do a kind of slapdash version, which I will describe now.

    Grist - the Latest from Grist 2010

  • But that's not going to keep her original, "slapdash," study from being widely cited by the usual ranters.

    Libertarian Blog Place Various Libertarian Bloggers 2010

  • Other reviewers criticised the movie's lack of wit, laziness and "slapdash" execution.

    PinkNews.co.uk 2009

Comments

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  • etymology anyone? Would love to have come up with this one...

    May 15, 2008

  • "Please accept this small, rather slapdash token of my appreciation"

    from Farewell, my Concubine

    April 18, 2009

  • Dont be slapdash on your GREs.

    August 9, 2012